TPN :: The Productivity Show » General http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com Ideas for gettings things done. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:46:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en © tony@tgtips.com () tony@tgtips.com() 1440 Ideas for gettings things done. tony@tgtips.com No no http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/wp-images/coverart_144x144.jpg TPN :: The Productivity Show http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com 144 144 Curiosity is Killing this Cat! http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/11/19/curiosity-is-killing-this-cat/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/11/19/curiosity-is-killing-this-cat/#comments Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:41:17 +0000 Tony Goodson http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/11/19/curiosity-is-killing-this-cat/ I’m just reading the most important book of my adult life.  The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.  I recommend it more than any other book.  You must read it!

Yeh, it shows you how to get down to a 4 hour workweek, but don’t judge it by that and think that’s impossible.  It’s about how we use our time, and how we distract ourselves, it’s incredibly practical with suggested tasks to try, and highlighting what’s not working for us, and what’s most important in our lives.

For me, it’s my curiosity which takes me to newspapers, news, websites.  It’s killing me, I’m burning up time.

I had thought about getting more into the psychology of why we waste so much time, but this book bypasses all that by just getting on with it.  I reckon this book is the foundation layer below Getting Things Done.  GTD allows you to gather all that’s in your mind and give you the option on when you deal with each thing.  The 4 hour Workweek gets rid of 4/5ths of everything!!

You don’t believe me?  Read the book.

Just a few things I’m implementing.  A no-media diet for a week, no newspapers, books, news, feeds.  Email at midday and late afternoon.  What do I do now, nothing to distract me!!  No multi-tasking, oops, slipped up on that one, writing this!  I’ll write some more in another post soon.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/11/19/curiosity-is-killing-this-cat/feed/ FUN and NOT FUN http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/10/26/fun-and-not-fun/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/10/26/fun-and-not-fun/#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:55:21 +0000 Tony Goodson http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/10/26/fun-and-not-fun/ It’s been a while, hasn’t it.  My Productivity shot to shreds!!

I am not worthy.  I am the most un-productive person in the world.  Maybe that’s a good criteria for hosting The Productivity Show.  I was away working on a project for 3 months.  Ah-Ha I thought, away from the kids and wife, in hotel rooms, I’ll be very productive, get lots of thing done.  Nah.  Sleep.  Food.  TV. More Food. TV. Sleep.  Maybe I should have read this, My Evenings are a Waste of Time!

Getting Things Done shot to pieces.  In fact, I’ve never worked so hard in my life, every day full on, flying back late Friday night to Melbourne, flying again Sunday afternoon, so in reality I was totally focused on the single project with very little time or headspace to do anything else.  But now I’m back, it’s interesting to gather all the things together, and empty my head back into the system.

In fact my system is still in place and most of the projects and actions are captured, it’s just that I’m feeling overwhelmed and not doing them, except for the most important one.

In order to break this single mode  thinking, I took a small post-it pad and wrote some of the actions and projects on to their individual post-its, and then sorted them in order of priority, on my desk.  This still didn’t work.  Nothing was working.

Then mid week, I looked at the post-its and wrote two more…”FUN” and “NOT FUN”, and then sorted the post-its into the two columns.  I then proceeded with the “FUN” column!!  But the funny thing is, once I declared some things “NOT FUN” I started to do them!!

Time for another Productivity Show.  Who shall I interview?  All suggestion and contacts welcome.  You want to be on?  Let me know.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/10/26/fun-and-not-fun/feed/ Thunderbirds are Go! (without Outlook 2007) http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/07/19/thunderbirds-are-go-without-outlook-2007/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/07/19/thunderbirds-are-go-without-outlook-2007/#comments Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:23:48 +0000 Tony Goodson http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/07/19/thunderbirds-are-go-without-outlook-2007/ I’ve ditched Outlook 2007and moved to Mozilla Thunderbird. Why? My Outlook 2007 is running like a dog; a three legged dog!

Now it might not be Outlook’s fault. My .pst is over 1GB, I have one or two add-ins.

However, would I recommend Outlook 2007 to an Outlook 2003 user? Nope! I can’t work out the difference other than the ribbon in composing emails, and coloured squares for categories (you can’t even colour in the whole line!). The “Ribbon” - isn’t it about time someone said the Emperor Has No Clothes. It’s just an expanded tool bar that is so thick it enables more functionality to be visible. Big Deal!! And you can’t find some of the things that you used to use! So it’s swings and roundabouts.

I can’t fully explain it, but Outlook 2007 seems very slow to load and use, just like the other Office 2007 products. Ok, I don’t have the latest processor, and I have 500MB of RAM, but that’s a reasonable configuration isn’t it? Maybe I should archive much of my email in Outlook, but why should I? I want it immediately accessible and searchable.

And Thunderbird ain’t no carnival. It’s a bit clunky with weird defaults, and I can’t work out if what I see is is what I’m sending, from a font size perspective. However, do you know how wonderful it feels to have Thunderbird load in 5secs, instead of the 2mins+ that Outlook is taking, plus another minute to populate the preview pane of an email I click on!!

I don’t use Outlook Calendar, being a SOHO, but I do use Outlook Tasks, so I’ve transferred my tasks over to my MindManager mindmap. Now what’s amazing is the lumpiness of having my tasks on my mindmap, have made it easier to actually do actions, rather then see line after line of uniform things to do.

So here’s the thing….if I’m no longer using Outlook, MindManager isn’t lumpy enough in organic feel and interface options, and I’m starting to think about OpenOffice, whilst I’m in the mood……what’s stopping me from moving to a……Mac!!!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/07/19/thunderbirds-are-go-without-outlook-2007/feed/ Goal Setting http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/18/goal-setting/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/18/goal-setting/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:45:04 +0000 Tony Goodson http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/18/goal-setting/ How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along? Late in December, and early January, we set these amazing goals. And what happens to them by June? Usually the opposite of what we set!!
Miriam’s comment about the podcast has made me think we should have a podcast on goal setting.

There are two parts to goals. The first is setting them. The second is doing them!! I’d learned a long time ago that a goal is a dream with actions. So you can get most people to dream a bit. Try these;

1. What would you Be, Do, Have, with $15,000,000?

2. Describe the perfect day, hour by hour, with almost unlimited funds

3. It’s your 85th birthday party, a family member, a friend, a work colleague, and Michael Parkinson, talk about you. What would you like them to say?

For most people, these types of questions allow them to dream and find out what they really want. When you’ve identified what you really want then set a time to achieve it by. Then work out the actions you need to take to get there, usually working backwards from when you want to achieve your goal.

Simple really! Except, human nature then intervenes. Procrastination, Distraction, Inactivity, Lack of Focus, The Urgent and Important! So we never continue to carry out the action required to achieve the dreams and goals we think we want.

If you’re not strongly action driven, then a more organic approach to goal setting might do the trick. Work out what you really want, think it, dream it, visualise it, and then leave your mind and the universe to work out how it’s going to happen. Very “The Secret“!!

Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen, looks at Horizons of Focus, different levels of focus in your life from the immediate, to the Life Purpose. it’s what I use to look at my current Roles and Responsibilities right up to what my Purpose and Core Values are. I think we’ll look at this in more detail on a podcast.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/18/goal-setting/feed/ Tony Goodson to take over! http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/04/tony-goodson-to-take-over/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/04/tony-goodson-to-take-over/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2007 05:05:47 +0000 Administrator http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/04/tony-goodson-to-take-over/ I am happy to announce that Tony Goodson is taking over hosting duties on The Productivity Show! Des and I just haven’t had time (ironic, I know Alanis) to ‘get it done’ over the last six months, so I’m glad someone is taking it over. Tony has been listening to G’Day World and TPN since the very beginning. I remember having coffee with him in the city early in the history of G’Day World when he tried to convince me that I was the new Parky (Tony’s a pom). It’s fitting that Tony is taking over this show as he was our guest on the very first one we did, way back in June 2005. Welcome to TPN, Tony!

UPDATE: Tony just reminded me that of last weekend he is now officially an Aussie! Welcome to our fair country sir.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/06/04/tony-goodson-to-take-over/feed/ Miriam needs a Productivity Buddy http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/10/12/miriam-needs-a-productivity-buddy/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/10/12/miriam-needs-a-productivity-buddy/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:53:11 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/10/12/miriam-needs-a-productivity-buddy/ Miriam needs a Productivity Buddy to help her stay on track with her GTD weekly review. Des and I came up with the idea of the Productivity Buddy ™ system while recording our Productivity podcast last month. Basically you buddy up with someone and make sure you keep each other on track with your weekly reviews. I’ve been working with Michael Specht as my buddy for the last few weeks and it’s working great. Michael calls me each Monday morning about 9.30 after he’s done his weekly review. That motivates him to do it and reminds me to do mine. We’re also in each other’s Skype list and can ping each other during the week to touch base on how we are tracking. It’s like having someone to go to the gym with every morning or having a "sponsor" in AA.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/10/12/miriam-needs-a-productivity-buddy/feed/ Andy Delin not impressed with Outlook 2007 http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/22/andy-delin-not-impressed-with-outlook-2007/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/22/andy-delin-not-impressed-with-outlook-2007/#comments Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:11:30 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/22/andy-delin-not-impressed-with-outlook-2007/ Is Andy Delin the new Scoble? A Microsoft blogger with enough balls / management support to say what he thinks even when it may not be completely obsequious? Let’s hope so… especially after I post this up there!

His recent review of Outlook 2007 : "so far I haven’t found too many changes of significance… In my opinion, Outlook is an irony - a productivity tool which distracts and overloads. Outlook knows so much about me - my contacts, my activities, my communications - and yet it doesn’t use this knowledge to guide what information should be given or hidden in a given context."

He’s also made some very interesting insights into why my decision to go back to pen and paper is a good one (and, by the way, I’m still loving it):

An elegant moleskine notebook may be expensive, but in fact, the cost and quality brings a certain respect for your thoughts. You won’t throw that thing away when it’s full, and the book itself is robust enough to preserve your thoughts for years. In time to come, you’ll pick up that elegant moleskine book and flipping through, you’ll recall what you were thinking about in 2006, what you were trying to achieve, what you aspired to and what you were struggling with. This is beautiful. Dare I mention PDAs and Outlook in the same paragraph? Those things are disrespectful of human markings, they are almost programmed to forget. They aren’t trustworthy containers (remember ‘trustworthy computing’ ?).

Trustworthy. Exactly. I’ve lost SO MUCH DATA from Outlook and my PDA over the years it’s disgusting. The whole OST / PST mindfield that Microsoft imposes on you in the name of an Outlook backup is still a complete joke. If I want to find a particular email from the last ten years that I wrote in Outlook, first I’d need to find the right PST. I’ve got them all backed up on CD somewhere, but there is about 20 of the suckers. Each time I re-built my laptop I had to back it up and then would normally start a new one to get the old one off my harddrive. Not to mention the many times I had to re-build Outlook due to PST corruptions. So I’d have to import various PSTs into Outlook and then search the lot of them for the right email.

Now compare that to finding a Gmail message from 2004 (when I started using it in anger). Takes two seconds. One maybe.

Anyway… paper is good. I’m loving it. However, I still haven’t worked out a good way to back it up without doing a daily scan.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/22/andy-delin-not-impressed-with-outlook-2007/feed/ moving to the moleskine http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/12/moving-to-the-moleskine/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/12/moving-to-the-moleskine/#comments Tue, 12 Sep 2006 02:58:37 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/12/moving-to-the-moleskine/ Over the last couple of years I’ve been extremely rude to friends like Jeremy Wagstaff and Marc Orchant (to name only two) who have told me how they had partially abandoned technology in their search for productivity and had regressed back to using a pen and paper. Not just ANY paper mind you. The infamous Moleskine. In certain geek circles, using a Moleskine is almost as de rigeur as having a Mac notebook. Secretly I’ve always wanted to join their ranks (on both counts, but for now we’ll discuss the moleskine) but I bravely fought the urge because I wanted to force myself to develop a strategy for using technology that worked.

Well, as listeners of The Productivity Show already know, I finally broke last week and have abandoned technology as my primary productivity tool/s in favour of a Moleskine. The one I’m using is a large lined notebook. And okay, there is something strangely primitive-yet-seductive about writing, with a real pen, on real paper. You got me. It’s just like a Tablet PC but strangely different. It doesn’t take ten minutes to boot. I don’t need to calibrate the book each time I use it. The battery life is pretty good, the fan is quiet, and it doesn’t get too hot on my lap. It doesn’t make any loud booting up noise when I open it in a café. The screen resolution is pretty good in sunlight. And I don’t need to synch it between multiple PCs and PDAs. I won’t get separate out of date versions of my task list appearing in multiple folders scattered across my PC.

Of course if I lose it, I’m screwed. Which is why I moved away from my Franklin planner eight years ago. It got stolen out of my car and I lost ten years of important shit. After eight  years of using PDAs, I’ve decided - ENOUGH!

Now I’m becoming addicted to reading blogs with Moleskine hacks. And all of those annoying pens which people have given me as gifts over the last ten years when I speak at conferences, I can now finally put to good use. I apologize to all of you for being rude as well.

Now, I need a Moleskine system. That’s part of the seductiveness of the book I think. You can create your own mods without learning AJAX. I need a system that will allow me to capture and process. Is there a Moleskine hack which stops you from reading blogs about Moleskine hacks and makes you get back to work?

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/09/12/moving-to-the-moleskine/feed/ It’s Official. Vista Release Will Be January 30, 2007 http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/30/its-official-vista-release-will-be-january-30-2007/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/30/its-official-vista-release-will-be-january-30-2007/#comments Tue, 29 Aug 2006 21:24:21 +0000 Des http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/30/its-official-vista-release-will-be-january-30-2007/ According to a post on Microsoft Watch, Microsoft has announced a release date for the next version of their operating system – Windows Vista.

Microsoft is set to launch Windows Vista on January 30, 2007. No word on the final location (yet). We’re assuming – until we hear otherwise – that this also will be the official launch date for Office 2007.

It’s Official. Vista Release Will Be January 30, 2007.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/30/its-official-vista-release-will-be-january-30-2007/feed/ Eric Mack reviews GyroQ: a GTD-esque capture tool for MindManager http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/22/eric-mack-reviews-gyroq-a-gtd-esque-capture-tool-for-mindmanager/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/22/eric-mack-reviews-gyroq-a-gtd-esque-capture-tool-for-mindmanager/#comments Mon, 21 Aug 2006 21:51:18 +0000 Des http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/22/eric-mack-reviews-gyroq-a-gtd-esque-capture-tool-for-mindmanager/ Eric Mack has provided a nice review of the GyroQ capture tool currently in Beta from Gyronix.  (Listeners to The Personal Productivity Show may recall that we interviewed Nick Duffill of Gyronix in Episode 006.)

What does GyroQ do?  According to Eric, it has a couple of important functions.

First, GyroQ allows me to quickly capture ideas and actions via a small pop-up window, regardless of the program I’m currently using.  Second, GyroQ automatically populates a MindManager Map with all of the the thoughts and actions I’ve captured.

I’ll be providing my own take on GyroQ shortly.  But it certainly looks intriguing.  On-the-go capture of thoughts, ideas, actions, etc, can be put into a “queue” for later processing.  For fans of GTD, this sounds indeed as if it will have symmetry.

Eric Mack On-Line.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/22/eric-mack-reviews-gyroq-a-gtd-esque-capture-tool-for-mindmanager/feed/ David Allen - A man who matters. Now. http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/21/david-allen-a-man-who-matters-now/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/21/david-allen-a-man-who-matters-now/#comments Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:10:34 +0000 Des http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/21/david-allen-a-man-who-matters-now/ Just picked up a copy of  the July 2006 issue of Business 2.0. 

Theres an interesting article called The 50 Who Matter Now.  According to the article, the 50 people listed are people

whose ideas, products, and business insights are changing the world we live in today – those who are reshaping our future by inventing important new technologies, exploiting emerging opportunities, or throwing their weight around in ways that are sure to make everyone else take notice.

I was pleased to see that David Allen, author of the book about the Getting Things Done methodology he invented, was not only listed, but was the 2nd person listed, right on the first page of the article.

I’ve been a GTD fan since 2001, and also had the pleasure of interviewing David on Episode 003 of The Personal Productivity Show on TPN.  Glad to see his work getting yet more praise.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/08/21/david-allen-a-man-who-matters-now/feed/ VOTE for your favourite TPN podcast NOW! at the 2006 Podcast Awards! http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/11/vote-for-your-favourite-tpn-podcast-now-at-the-2006-podcast-awards/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/11/vote-for-your-favourite-tpn-podcast-now-at-the-2006-podcast-awards/#comments Tue, 11 Jul 2006 05:54:44 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/11/vote-for-your-favourite-tpn-podcast-now-at-the-2006-podcast-awards/ Quick! There are only four days left to vote for your favourite TPN podcasts over at the 2006 Podcast Awards!

Click here to vote and here’s a quick "How To Vote" guide like you’d get at your local elections.

TPN :: Gday World          http://gdayworld.thepodcastnetwork.com    

TPN :: The Best of TPN          http://bestoftpn.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Gadget Show          http://gadget.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Media Center      http://mediacenter.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Mobile Technology Show          http://mobiles.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Mobile Media Show          http://mobilemedia.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Tablet PC Show          http://tabletpc.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Tech Conference      http://techconf.thepodcastnetwork.com    

TPN :: The Cranky Middle Manager Show      http://cmm.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Personal Productivity Show          http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Edinburgh Fringe Show          http://edinburghfringe.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Gaming Show          http://gaming.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Jazz Show          http://jazz.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Tha Hunga MixTape Show          http://mixtape.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Rock Show          http://rock.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Movie Show          http://movie.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Matt, Freak and The Fatboy        http://mff.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The AFL Show          http://afl.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Golf Show          http://golf.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Grand Prix Show          http://grandprix.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The NBA Show        http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/nba

TPN :: The Advaita Show          http://advaita.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Animal World Show          http://animalworld.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Dead Serious         http://deadserious.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Father Bob Show          http://fatherbob.thepodcastnetwork.com/category/podcast

TPN :: The Gay Parenting Show          http://gayparenting.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Real Women Show          http://realwomen.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Surface Interval Show          http://surfaceinterval.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Cafe Geek      http://cafegeek.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Community Admin Show          http://communityadmin.thepodcastnetwork.com    

TPN :: A Late-Night Blues and Jazz Hangout       http://bluesandjazz.thepodcastnetwork.com/

TPN :: The Smart Business Show          http://smartbusiness.thepodcastnetwork.com/

TPN :: The Geeks Of Hazzard       http://geeksofhazzard.thepodcastnetwork.com/

TPN :: SOUSED        http://soused.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Claybourne          http://claybourne.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Health and Fitness Show          http://health.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Heretic - The Official Podcast      http://heretic.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Travel Show          http://travel.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Napoleon 1O1      http://napoleon.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Social Capitalist      http://socialcapitalist.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Box Office Weekly          http://boxoffice.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Applied Karate Show          http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The ValuesHacker Show      http://valueshacker.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The All American Show          http://allamerican.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Melbourne Confidential       http://melbourne.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Atomic Show          http://atomic.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Poly The Pollie       http://polythepollie.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Alternate Health Show          http://althealth.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Digital Photography Show          http://digiphoto.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Internet Media Show          http://internetmedia.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Mellow Monday       http://mellowmonday.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Bit Radio Show          http://thebit.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The PSP Show          http://psp.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The 2 Web Crew      http://2webcrew.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Alterntive Music Show          http://alternativemusic.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Extraordinary Everyday Lives Show          http://extraordinary.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Travel Stories       http://travelstories.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Martial Arts Explorer       http://martialarts.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Laugh Out Loud        http://lol.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Keoni And The Worm        http://keoniandtheworm.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Podcasting APB        http://podcastingapb.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Treading Lightlyhttp://treadinglightly.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: Hobo Radio        http://hoboradio.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The Ugly Girls Club        http://uglygirlsclub.thepodcastnetwork.com

TPN :: The GlobalGeek Podcast           http://globalgeek.thepodcastnetwork.com

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/11/vote-for-your-favourite-tpn-podcast-now-at-the-2006-podcast-awards/feed/ Meet Like You Mean It http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/04/meet-like-you-mean-it/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/04/meet-like-you-mean-it/#comments Tue, 04 Jul 2006 13:22:47 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/04/meet-like-you-mean-it/ Wayne Turmel is one of only a handful of TPN hosts that I have actually met in the flesh. When I was in NYC last year, Wayne and Scott Sherman managed to get themselves to NYC to have a drink (or two) with me, which was awfully nice of them.

Anyway, Wayne has written another book and it’s available today an e-book from his site. I’ve read it already and it’s terrific. It’s designed for those of you who spend your life in meetings. Fortunately for me, I am no longer one of those people but I feel your pain. I spent enough years in the corporate world to know what it’s like. This book will help you take control of the time spent in meetings which in turn will let you spend more time listening to podcasts on The Podcast Network. What more can you ask for?

As Wayne says:

It’s called “Meet Like You Mean It”- a Cranky Middle Manager’s Guide to Productive and Painless Meetings”.

The greatest praise and the biggest criticism I’ve heard are the same thing- it reads like the show sounds. One person called it “Stanley Bing meets the Training Manual”. Hopefully you’ll laugh, you’ll definitely recognize yourself and others, and you’ll find valuable tips for making your meetings less agonizing for you and your team.

It’s available now for download at the CMM store on my website, http://www.achismarketing.com/Meetlikeyoumeanit.html.  The cost is $7.97US, which if you figure the cost of a bad meeting, shows ROI pretty darn quickly.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/04/meet-like-you-mean-it/feed/ using VNC across a wireless network http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/01/using-vnc-across-a-wireless-network/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/01/using-vnc-across-a-wireless-network/#comments Sat, 01 Jul 2006 07:54:48 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/01/using-vnc-across-a-wireless-network/ This is my software discovery of the day: RealVNC. I was looking for an easy way to print from my laptop over my wireless network to my USB printer attached to the desktop. I read someone saying they use VNC for this so I checked it out. It’s not the simple solution for printing that I was looking for, but it does seem like a terrific way for me to control my desktop remotely - over the wireless network at home or over the net from afar.

RealVNC comes in a variety of flavours. I’m using the free edition. I have the server version installed on the desktop and the viewer installed on my laptop. Installation was idiot proof and took 30 seconds. Now I can run my desktop from my laptop. It’s faster and simpler than any other remote control system I’ve tried in the past.

Now… can anyone suggest a way to print?

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/07/01/using-vnc-across-a-wireless-network/feed/ Companion Link for Google Calendar is here http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/24/companion-link-for-google-calendar-is-here/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/24/companion-link-for-google-calendar-is-here/#comments Sat, 24 Jun 2006 03:46:44 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/24/companion-link-for-google-calendar-is-here/ Looks like this news is a couple of weeks old, but I just found out about it, so perhaps you missed it as well. Via Shazbot:

CompanionLink for Google Calendar™ is a two-way synchronization solution for people that want to extend their Google Calendar onto their desktop calendar systems or mobile devices. It can synchronize Google Calendar with all the latest Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, Palm, and BlackBerry devices in addition to Outlook, Lotus Notes, Palm Desktop, and Groupwise applications.

Well that’s half of the ideal solution for Pocket PC users like myself who no longer want to use Outlook but still want to use a Pocket PC. Ideally I’d like a Pocket PC application which can run offline but synch with Google Calendar once I dock it (or via the web, but at the rates mobileco’s in Australia charge for mobile internet…).

I’ve installed the 14-day trial of CompanionLink but I’m having trouble getting it to connect to Google Calendar. It keeps telling me my email address or password is wrong, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t. So I’ll keep trying. If anyone else gives this a try, please pop over to the Productivity forum and let me know what you think of the product.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/24/companion-link-for-google-calendar-is-here/feed/ Using Activewords with the new Google Desktop http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/09/using-activewords-with-the-new-google-desktop/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/09/using-activewords-with-the-new-google-desktop/#comments Fri, 09 Jun 2006 09:56:24 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/09/using-activewords-with-the-new-google-desktop/ I’m pretty excited about this combination.

I’ve been a devoted fan of Activewords for several years, ever since I got that famous email from Buzz Bruggeman offering me a coaching lesson. I’ve just signed him up to do one for my wife as well, as she’s just got her first laptop and can’t wait to install Activewords on it.

Anyway, this new version of Google Desktop has a very cool feature where you can hit the Control key twice (CTRL-CTRL) and it brings up a search bar in the middle of your screen from which you can search your hard drive or the web.

Now this is very cool but CTRL-CTRL has been the command I’ve used for several years to bring up my Activewords bar (from which I can activate any of my programmed activewords).

But fear not! I worked out a simple solution that gives me the best of all worlds.

1. Go into Activewords settings and turn off the CTRL-CTRL setting.

2. Use the Google Desktop search bar.

3. When I hit CTRL-CTRL out of habit but really want an Activeword to run, not a Google search, I simple hit the other Activeword commant (SPACE-SPACE) instead of hitting ENTER, which activates the Google search instead.

Oh and I’ve got the default Google search set to be my desktop. If I want it to search the web instead, I hit CTRL-W when I have the Google search bar open. This automatically takes me to a web search.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/06/09/using-activewords-with-the-new-google-desktop/feed/ Firefox Extension Mass Installer http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/10/firefox-extension-mass-installer/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/10/firefox-extension-mass-installer/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 22:32:40 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/10/firefox-extension-mass-installer/ Via Firefox Facts:

Thanks to the Firefox extension, Mass Installer, you never have to worry about downloading all your favorite extensions again when doing a clean install of everybody’s favorite browser. The only work you have to do is collect the links to all of your favorite extensions (i.e. to the XPIs) and put them in a text file (one URL per line). Be sure to check out some of the “extension packs” that the folks at Lifehacker put together as well.

What a great idea.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/10/firefox-extension-mass-installer/feed/ I swear http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/09/i-swear/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/09/i-swear/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 03:52:10 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/09/i-swear/ we’re going to do a show this week! come hell or high water!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/04/09/i-swear/feed/ Windows Mobile ruins another day http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/28/windows-mobile-ruins-another-day/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/28/windows-mobile-ruins-another-day/#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:50:19 +0000 Administrator http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/28/windows-mobile-ruins-another-day/
My next door neighbour David Jackson came over today to act as my personal tech support. After I had already spent 4 hours unsuccessfully trying to get Activesync on my Pocket PC talk to Activesync on my Tablet PC via bluetooth, he spent another two hours and finally got it working. The wonders of modern technology!!

Yes, I finally caved in and decided I needed Outlook Calendar to be working on all of my PCs until a suitable alternative is found. I was also sick of certain important documents not being available on my tablet.

So joy oh joy, I know have Activesync working and guess what? My Pocket PC has decided that daylight savings in Victoria has finished for the year. But oh no! Steve Bracks, our hair-do Premier, has extended it for another week thanks to the Uncommon-wealth Games. So… now the PDA thinks it is 8.34pm desite my telling it 20 times today that it is only 7.34pm and, what’s even better, ALL OF MY APPOINTMENTS IN OUTLOOK ARE NOW AN HOUR OUT. My 9am appointment for tomorrow is scheduled to 10am. My 10am for 11am. FOR MY ENTIRE DIARY FOREVER INTO ETERNITY.

That appointment I have for July? Yep, it’s wrong. The one for September? Yep it’s wrong too. I would change them - but I don’t even know they are there. I have to search through my whole goddamn calendar into eternity.

But wait - it gets even better. If I DON’T change all of those appointments, and figure everything will sort itself out in a week when DLS finally finishes? Then all of the appointments I enter into my calendar in the next week will ALSO be an hour out once the calendar changes.

Sometime I hate technology and think Merlin Mann and his hipster diary are probably right. I’ve wasted an entire day on this shit.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/28/windows-mobile-ruins-another-day/feed/ Clear Context upgrade http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/23/62/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/23/62/#comments Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:43:26 +0000 Administrator http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/23/62/ Remember when we had Brad Meador from Clear Context on the show? Well I got this email from Brad this morning:

Just a quick FYI - we rolled the website up and announced the new product this morning. I’ve highlighted what’s new on our weblog:

http://blog.clearcontext.com/2006/03/whats_new_in_im.html

Two things of particular note:

  1. The Inbox Manager product is now free: http://www.clearcontext.com/products/inbox_manager.html - this is a lightweight way to get the Inbox under control.
  2. We are continuing our write a review, get a free license program: http://blog.clearcontext.com/2005/04/who_wants_a_fre.html - we basically want to reward people who help evangelize the product.

Thanks as always. Please let me know if I can provide further information.

BTW – I’m recording a Tablet PC show with Perry this evening. Wish us luck!

Take Care,

Brad.

If anyone out there is still using Microsoft Outlook (smile) then I know you’ll want this upgrade.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/23/62/feed/ Google Calendar screenshots http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/08/google-calendar-screenshots/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/08/google-calendar-screenshots/#comments Wed, 08 Mar 2006 06:50:09 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/08/google-calendar-screenshots/ TechCrunch has the shots and the scoop.

Bottom line:

Looks like a very good start, is a long way off from release, is going to do most of what we want, except perhaps integration with the Pocket PC, although might integrate with Outlook Calendar, which will do the trick. Gotta love Google.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/03/08/google-calendar-screenshots/feed/ Activewords for MindManager 6 http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/28/activewords-for-mindmanager-6/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/28/activewords-for-mindmanager-6/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:35:23 +0000 Cameron http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/28/activewords-for-mindmanager-6/ Buzz mailed me this morning telling me about the new ActiveWords agent for MindManager 6.0. There’s a cool video demonstration on the site and the tool looks fantastic. Requires (of course) Activewords and MindManager 6.0.

I told Buzz I’ve also been using their Gmail agent a lot lately and it rocks. I can open up an Activewords entry field, type in the search term I’m looking for, and the ActiveWords script will open up my Gmail, automatically enter the term in the search field, and activate it. Totally brilliant.

Of course, if you don’t know what Activewords is, listen to a couple of interviews I’ve done with Buzz over the last year:

    G’Day World interview Dec 2004
    Productivity Show interview Nov 2005
]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/28/activewords-for-mindmanager-6/feed/ Refocusing My Productivity http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/03/refocusing-my-productivity/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/03/refocusing-my-productivity/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2006 09:44:10 +0000 Des http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/03/refocusing-my-productivity/ On Episode #017 and Episode #018, I’ve talked a little about my process of using the slightly quieter time around New Year (the week before and the week immediately after) to clean up and make current my personal productivity system.

As regular readers and listeners will know, I use a system that is based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology. That system is based on the concept of Collect-Process-Organise-Review-Do, and has as key tenets

  • Collect everything
  • Review regularly

So anyway, I’ve completed three days of my refocusing, and have blogged about it each day over at desparoz On The Go.

  • Day 1 - Collecting, Processing and Organising my current Next Actions
  • Day 2 - Reviewing, clearing and making current my Waiting Fors
  • Day 3 - Getting my project list clean, clear and up-to-date

I’m now moving into the next stage - brainstorming and planning. Keep watching my blog for updates.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2006/01/03/refocusing-my-productivity/feed/ Comments will be down from noon on Sunday to midnight Monday, Sydney time http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/30/comments-will-be-down-from-noon-on-sunday-to-midnight-monday-sydney-time/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/30/comments-will-be-down-from-noon-on-sunday-to-midnight-monday-sydney-time/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2005 06:51:49 +0000 Des http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/12/30/comments-will-be-down-from-noon-on-sunday-to-midnight-monday-sydney-time/ TPN would like to advise that we are doing some important server maintenance on from Dec 31 - Jan 2 and our comments system will be down during that period. Regular access to podcasts and blog posts should not be affected during this time. Thanks for your patience!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/30/comments-will-be-down-from-noon-on-sunday-to-midnight-monday-sydney-time/feed/ Top 10 Signs You’re A GTD Disciple http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/23/top-10-signs-youre-a-gtd-disciple/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/23/top-10-signs-youre-a-gtd-disciple/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2005 21:45:07 +0000 Des http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/12/23/top-10-signs-youre-a-gtd-disciple/ David Allen (by way of Eric Mack) has posted a tongue-in-cheek top 10 list that has been going round.

The Top 10 Signs You’re a GTD Disciple

10. While driving home from work, you have to pull over three times to jot it down and empty your mind.

9. You put your weekly review on a Someday/Maybe list. NOT!

8. You go to McDonalds for lunch but before ordering you draw a mind map of what an ideal fast food meal would look and taste like.

7. You use a Brother P-Touch to label your kitchen drawers.

6. You actually know how to pronounce, “Moleskine.”

5. You actually understand the workflow chart in GTD.

4. You know the difference between 40,000 and 30,000 feet perspectives.

3. You know that the “two-minute rule” has nothing to do with the conclusion of football games.

2. When you get together with friends, you say, “Show me you project list!”

1. After five minutes of foreplay, you pause and ask your partner, “What’s the next action?”

I can identify with a couple of these - hell I did exactly what is described in number 10 last night.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/23/top-10-signs-youre-a-gtd-disciple/feed/ The BizBlog Show is back on TPN http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/17/the-bizblog-show-is-back-on-tpn/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/17/the-bizblog-show-is-back-on-tpn/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:58:46 +0000 Des http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/12/17/the-bizblog-show-is-back-on-tpn/ ThePodcastNetwork :: The TPN Blog » Blog Archive » The BizBlog Show is back!.

If you’re interested in keeping up to date with the latest developments in the corporate blogging world, then you may want to subscribe to The BizBlog Show on TPN! The multi-faceted Tyme White will be your guide to the new look version of the show!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/17/the-bizblog-show-is-back-on-tpn/feed/ Productivity tips for Mac and Linux users http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/10/productivity-tips-for-mac-and-linux-users/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/10/productivity-tips-for-mac-and-linux-users/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2005 07:24:53 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/12/10/productivity-tips-for-mac-and-linux-users/ Both Des and I are Windows users and therefore, as one of our listeners recently pointed out, we don’t provide much value for those of you running a Mac or Linux. So we need your help! If any of you can provide us with material for people running those platforms, please let me know and you can come on the show!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/12/10/productivity-tips-for-mac-and-linux-users/feed/ Speaking of re-building your WinXP PC http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/11/24/speaking-of-re-building-your-winxp-pc/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/11/24/speaking-of-re-building-your-winxp-pc/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:03:59 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/11/24/speaking-of-re-building-your-winxp-pc/ Thinking about re-building WinXP machines reminded me of this hilarious (it’s funny cuz it’s true) step-by-step process by Mark Pilgrim from August 2003. Nothing much has changed.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/11/24/speaking-of-re-building-your-winxp-pc/feed/ We’re back baby… http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/10/07/we%e2%80%99re-back-baby/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/10/07/we%e2%80%99re-back-baby/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2005 09:39:56 +0000 Administrator http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/10/07/we%e2%80%99re-back-baby/ You don’t have to wait any longer…our new system is all setup…all of our technology problems have been fixed (fingers crossed) and The Podcast Network is ready to re-enter the world of podcasting…bigger…better…and stronger than ever.

Stay tuned for some really exciting news next week as we kick this thing back into gear, and I know that all of our excellent hosts along with Cam and myself hope that you have enjoyed the great podcasts that we have been providing for your listening pleasure since February 2005…the ride has just started folks.

:)
Mick Stanic
Co-Founder, The Podcast Network

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/10/07/we%e2%80%99re-back-baby/feed/ Don’t Panic http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/29/dont-panic/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/29/dont-panic/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:33:30 +0000 Administrator http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/09/29/dont-panic/ Hi TPN listeners and fans,

Between the 29th of September and the 3rd of October, The Podcast Network web site will be undergoing some major server work that will increase (fingers crossed) both the speed and the reliability of the service you have come to love and cherish ;)

Access to the web site and the functionality of the RSS feed will at best experience a small blip of down time… and at worst…well..it could vanish into the bermuda triangle that is tech land for upto four days. I have also had to switch of the ability to post comments on all the sites till we are fully operational as well.

Stick with us through this little hick-up and I promise we will return to normal transmission as quick as possible.

Thanks guys and gals…

Mick Stanic
Co-Founder of The Podcast Network

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/29/dont-panic/feed/ New RSS readers catching fire http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/27/new-rss-readers-catching-fire/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/27/new-rss-readers-catching-fire/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2005 11:52:56 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/09/27/new-rss-readers-catching-fire/ I’ve read a couple of posts tonight from people (here and here) who are dumping Bloglines as their RSS reader and moving to upstarts like Rojo and Findory. Going to check them out myself. I just moved from Newsgator to Bloglines a week ago! But using the hippest RSS reader is a little like being seen in the right restaurants (well if you live in Sydney, anyway).

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/27/new-rss-readers-catching-fire/feed/ Tablet PC show has interview with Mindjet CTO & Founder http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/26/tablet-pc-show-has-interview-with-mindjet-cto-founder/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/26/tablet-pc-show-has-interview-with-mindjet-cto-founder/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2005 02:05:35 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/09/26/tablet-pc-show-has-interview-with-mindjet-cto-founder/ Make sure you check out the interview Marc & James from The Tablet PC Show did recently with Mike Jetter, CTO & Founder of Mindjet, the makers of MindManager, one of our favourite productivity tools! They discuss the new features built into MindManager 6 which was released on September 20. I’ve been using MM6 for a week now and it’s got some very cool new features. I agree with Francois Lavaste, MindJet’s VP of Worldwide Marketing, who says:

The two most exciting new enhancements of Mindjet MindManager 6 for me:

1. The ability to organize and manage numbers and charts thanks to both the Spreadsheet and the Microsoft Excel Linker features. I can now visualize and better manage my budget, key metrics and business plans.
2. The new formatting options (text, image and topic alignment options, balance map features, org chart layout feature, snag to grid during drag and drop…). I can now build and publish easily and quickly maps that look really professional. It saves me so much time!

Des and I are planning to do a show on MM6 in the coming weeks, so go download and play with the trial version ahead of time.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/26/tablet-pc-show-has-interview-with-mindjet-cto-founder/feed/ Buzz launches Activewords Inkpad at DEMO FALL 2005 http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/23/buzz-launches-activewords-inkpad-at-demo-fall-2005/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/23/buzz-launches-activewords-inkpad-at-demo-fall-2005/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:14:42 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/09/23/buzz-launches-activewords-inkpad-at-demo-fall-2005/ My mate Buzz Bruggeman launched Activewords new Inkpad product yesterday at DEMO FALL 2005. Inkpad is a great tool I’ve been using for a couple of months, which allows Tablet PC users to ink a word on the screen and then have Activewords do its magic, like your own little I Dream Of Jeannie. In fact, I think Buzz and Pete should get the AW team to make it say “Yes Master!” everytime you tell it to do something. Apparently the DEMO network went down during Buzz’s demo, but I’m sure he didn’t let it stop him.

John Furrier is podcasting from DEMO FALL and you can hear him interview Buzz. Gotta love Buzz, he manages to get a plug in for both G’DAY WORLD and ClearContext! This man is the world’s greatest plugger. Thanks Buzz!

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/23/buzz-launches-activewords-inkpad-at-demo-fall-2005/feed/ First impressions of Microsoft Office12 http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/22/first-impressions-of-microsoft-office12/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/22/first-impressions-of-microsoft-office12/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2005 02:58:53 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/09/22/first-impressions-of-microsoft-office12/ I’ve just been watching Scoble’s interview with Julie Larson-Green on Channel 9 where she demonstrates the PDC build of Microsoft Office12. Despite Robert’s aurgasms, I don’t get the big deal.

Yes - it’s prettier, and that’s nice. I like pretty as much as the next person. The general tone of the demo reminded me of Windows ME. WinME was prettier than Windows 95 too. Remember what a great product Windows ME was!? Yeah… right. Now, of course, MS did much better when they gave us the prettiness of WinME combined with the stability of WinXP.

So, my question for Microsoft, is this:

How will forking out the money for this product/upgrade make my life significantly better?

To be specific:

* Will this product save me significant time and/or effort and/or money every day?
o Is it more stable?
o Will Outlook toolbars stop failing and crashing?
o Is it faster?
o Does it help me share information seamlessly with my colleauges and my customers?
o Does it have RSS integrated?

The “ribbon” is nice, but I don’t believe Julie’s demo indicated that it is really going to address the main concerns I listed above.

Example:
ACTIVEWORDS gave me an exponential productivity boost.
RSS Readers have me an exponential productivity boost.

Will Office12 give me an exponential productivity boost?

I like pretty. I love the OSX interface. But software is about more than being pretty, right?

Now, perhaps Office12 will make my life significantly better, but I just didn’t see it presented that way in Julie’s video.

Final point - I love what Robert is doing with Channel 9. Simply shot, no frills, but it bloody works. This is the future kids.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/09/22/first-impressions-of-microsoft-office12/feed/ ActiveWords and Wikipedia http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/08/10/activewords-and-wikipedia/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/08/10/activewords-and-wikipedia/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2005 07:30:36 +0000 Cameron http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/?p=11 Buzz Bruggeman has come up with a terrific way to speed up your Wikipedia searches using Activewords. Check out the instructions on his blog.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/08/10/activewords-and-wikipedia/feed/ Where’s the latest Personal Productivity Show? http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/07/11/wheres-the-latest-personal-productivity-show/ http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/07/11/wheres-the-latest-personal-productivity-show/#comments Sun, 10 Jul 2005 21:28:41 +0000 Des http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/productivity/2005/07/11/wheres-the-latest-personal-productivity-show/ Had a few emails asking when the next edition of the Personal Productivity Show will be out.

We’ve actually had a few failed attempts. Cameron and I (Des Paroz) actually recorded an interview with Phil McCredden, a Melbourne based minister, blogger, geek and productivity enthusiast. We’ll be re-doing the show shortly - but thats been rescheduled twice for a whole bunch of reasons.

We were scheduled to interview Buzz Bruggeman of ActiveWords fame yesterday, but there was a syncing issue in getting that to happen. We will be interviewing Buzz later this week - and I am looking forward to that.

However, Episode 5, a simple discussion between Cameron and I was recorded yesterday. We discussed the importance of regular reviews, my TabletPC adventures and more. Look out for this episode to be up later this week.

]]> http://productivity.thepodcastnetwork.com/2005/07/11/wheres-the-latest-personal-productivity-show/feed/